“Well, we’ll just have to come back,” we decided, after sharing one tasting of Greenport Harbor beers left us feeling we’d had enough for one day. It was finally warm enough to feel that beer should be the drink of choice, so we headed to Greenport Harbor’s large facility on the corner of Peconic Lane and Main Road. They also have a smaller tasting room in the village of Greenport.

Two views of the bar tasting room. Note pooch. They are allowed in this room and outside, but not in the restaurant.

This place is quite large, though it does fill up on summer weekends, with two rooms. The first one is for ordering beer and tastings, with a side area of GH-related gifts, and the second one is a restaurant area, where dogs are not allowed. So if you want to get food, be sure you have someone to hang onto your pooch either in the first room or outside while you do so.

The restaurant room is also roomy.

The counter where you order food, plus the beers they have at that spot.

Food menu

You may remember that I noted one could do a walking/drinking tour on Peconic Lane, and end up at GH. There, you can spend some time sitting outside in the Adirondack chairs or at a picnic table and have lunch. They have quite an extensive menu of snacks and real food, from the Űber Pretzel for $11.50 to salads, sandwiches, and a lobster roll for $25. You order at the counter and they give you a square object which vibrates quite violently when your food is ready to be picked up. We got the Űber Pretzel, which was quite large, very hot, and came with mustard and a warm cheese dipping sauce. Not bad, but it lacked the yeasty bite of a New York City street pretzel. Too soft and sweet for me—but we devoured it anyway.

You also order your beer at a counter, where you can get a tasting of five beers for $12 or glasses or growler fills for varying prices. The tasting comes in pretty little bell-shaped glasses which fit into a whale-shaped carrier (GH used to sell you the glass, which you then filled with your choice of beers. We have quite a collection.). You leave your credit card with the server, who returns it and charges your account when you return the glasses. Clever. We saw quite a few people carrying their tasting outside or to a table over on the restaurant side of the place. We also saw many people just getting glasses of beer and sitting and sipping. Kids were throwing a Frisbee around outside.

The rather extensive beer menu.

We stood at the bar and studied the beer menu, which consists of fifteen choices divided into three categories: Year Round, Limited Release, and The OG (Original Greenport) Series. Within these categories there are various styles, including lagers, ales, IPAs, stouts, bocks, and a Berliner Weisse. How to choose? The server gave us a slip of paper and a pen, and told us to write down our choices. So we did, going for a variety of styles, writing them down in the order in which we happened to choose them. (By the way, you can also buy their beers in cans and bottles, often available at local grocery stores and beer distributors.)

Beers available in cans, but note, no consumption of the cans or growlers while you’re there.

Then she carefully filled the glasses in the order in which we had written them, and returned our slip of paper with instructions to drink them “from head to tail of the whale.” Wait a second. We had started by choosing a porter, and our last choice was a brown ale. Surely that was not the order in which one should drink them!? She was very happy to write down the best sequence, and as we sipped we decided she had been quite right. So be forewarned—be sure to ask that question. As in a wine tasting, order matters. You don’t want to go from a heavy porter to a light lager, or the lager will taste like nothing. I think one change GH should make is to automatically have servers point that out.

Our list, with her added re-numbering for the order in which to drink them.

Tidal Lager 5.3% ABV

The ABV percentage is something you see next to each beer, and it refers to “alcohol by volume.” It is listed because beers can vary widely in how alcoholic they are, from, in the case of our choices, 5% to 9.4%. Tidal Lager is described as a “Vienna Lager,” a particular style of lager you can look up on the web. This version of it is quite light, though also very tasty, with notes of toast and oatmeal cookies. This is a good summer beer, nice for sipping on the deck on a hot day.

Our tasting, which was plenty to drink for the two of us.

Maibock 7% ABV

We asked our server about this one, as we were contemplating what to choose, and she launched into a mini-essay on how good it is and how much she likes it. I can see why. I described it as a “classic good beer,” full-bodied but not heavy. My husband said it was “toasty and creamy.” It has a touch of sweetness, and would go great with spicy grilled sausages (maybe some of the sausages from 8 Hands Farm).

Hopnami 9.4% ABV

If you like a really hoppy, grapefruity IPA, this is the beer for you. We don’t. It tastes more like a breakfast juice than a beer, and smells like grapefruit juice, too. And I think it’s a bit dangerous, because you could easily guzzle it down—and look at the ABV!

There are some interesting non-alcoholic drinks available as well.

Black Duck Porter 5% ABV

It was easy to decide to taste this one, since it is one of our favorites. We’ve bought it in bottles from our local supermarket but, no surprise, it tastes better fresh on tap. This is a lovely dark beer, with tastes of coffee and chocolate. As we sipped, we reminisced about our favorite pubs in England and Ireland. It would go great with shepherd’s pie or a nice lamb stew (hold the mushy peas).

Kettle Cookies and Coffee Oatmeal Brown Ale 5.3% ABV

I had to try this one, since it is made with NoFoRoCo (North Fork Roasting Company) coffee. And yes, it smells and tastes like coffee, like a good espresso with just a touch of sugar. However, I don’t think I would enjoy a whole glass of this. It barely seems like a beer. Between this and Hopnami, you could have quite the boozy breakfast.

Reasons to visit: good beer in an expansive setting; nice menu of sandwiches, etc., which, they boast, are often made with local ingredients; the Tidal Lager, Maibock, and Black Duck Perter; generous pour for a tasting; you can fill your growler and take some home; live music sometimes; fun t-shirts. We’ll be back to try some more. I calculate we need to come at least two more times to try all fifteen!

Another view of the expansive lawn

This was sitting by the entrance. I assume it is some piece of “antique” brewing equipment, which fits with the North Fork aesthetic of old farm equipment as lawn ornaments.

The conversations in the tiny tasting shack—a repurposed 19th century tool shed—were all about wines and wineries. The knowledgeable and interested server had plenty to contribute to the discussion. He recognized us from our last visit, a year ago, and was enthusiastic about sharing his love for One Woman’s wines. As we’ve noted in the past, every new vintage brings changes, in this case both in how the wines taste and in what wines are on the menu. We learned that, since she started, Claudia Purita, the one woman behind One Woman, has increased her acreage of vines from seventeen to thirty. (Actually, given the active participation of her daughter, maybe she should change the name to two women!) Her daughter encouraged her to add Chenin Blanc to her line-up, a good choice in our opinion.

Heed the warning on this sign. They mean it! No big groups without an appointment.

Our first topic of discussion was the rather draconian sign outside the property, adamantly insisting on no groups over six and no limos or buses. However, once you have been there it is clear that the place is too small to accommodate large groups, though you can make an appointment to come before the opening time. Given the quality of the wines, it is worth heeding their warning, and coming with just a few people.

A tasting consists of your choice of two, three, or four wines for $6, $8, or $10. In the past, two tastings of four each would have covered all their offerings, but there are also three Reserve wines, for $4 per taste, and five limited production wines which are not available for tasting. The pour is moderate, so the two of us felt comfortable sharing two tastings, covering all eight of their standard choices. Wines are also available by the glass, at prices ranging from $10-$15 each.

2017 One Woman Rosé $26

Now that Croteaux has had to close their tasting room and garden, due to some issues with the town of Southold, we are on the lookout for a rosé we like as much as we like theirs. This one is in their category of light, tart, yet fruity rosés, with tastes of strawberry and raspberry, so we may return to buy a bottle or two. It is made primarily from merlot, with some pinot noir and dolcetto grapes as well. Our server informs us that they are the only winery on Long Island with dolcetto grapes, which they primarily use as a “blending grape.”

The Sauvignon Blanc and the Rose, our first tastes. We like the view out the back window.

2016 Sauvignon Blanc $32

This is not as citrusy as some sauvignon blancs we’ve had, but is more minerally and vegetal, with an asparagus aroma. (Asparagus is in season, and we’ve been buying it every week from the farmstands, which may be one reason why we thought we smelled it!) Very light, it would be better with food, perhaps a delicate fish or seafood dish, than sipped on its own.

Usually there are flowers inside as well, but I guess it is early in the season.

2016 Chenin Blanc $35

This is the first time they’ve offered chenin blanc, with only 50 cases produced. There was some discussion of the fact that chenin blanc can vary greatly in taste, depending on the terroir and how the grape is treated. Though One Woman’s chenin is steel fermented, it has a bit of the mouth feel of an oaked wine. The aroma is a little funky, but the wine itself is light and pleasant.

I meant to ask about the “antipasto platter” on the sign, but got sidetracked. I would say that charcuterie would be a good snack with the whites.

2016 Grüner Veltliner $26

The Grüner Veltliner is their signature wine, both because no one else on Long Island produces this wine and because it is quite good. When a couple came in and asked to taste just one wine, this was the one the server suggested. Good idea. We really liked it, and bought two bottles. It has a sweet flowery aroma, like honeysuckle, but it is not sweet. We taste citrus and gooseberry and some minerality. The taste is complex, with also some notes of spice. “White pepper?” suggests our server. “Awesome,” say I. If we can keep it that long, I may serve it with our Thanksgiving turkey (which I would buy from 8 Hands farm again, since last year’s was delicious).

2015 Gewürztraminer $28

We get to taste this side by side with the 2016, and the comparison shows once again how important vintage is. The aroma is somewhat typically flowery, maybe orange flower, with some pine, too. The taste is delicious, with just a touch of sweetness. It is fruitier than the 2016 Gewürztraminer, but also has plenty of minerality to balance it. There is some discussion of the effect of salt spray, from our maritime setting, on the grapes. This is a wine that would be nice to drink with something moderately spicy, but could also be sipped on its own.

Two gewürztraminers, side by side tasting.

2016 Gewürztraminer $28

Though the aroma is similar, this one’s smell is more complex, with a touch of funkiness. The wine is dryer, more austere, with less fruitiness. The finish is shorter and the legs are longer! I prefer the 2015, but I can see how some might like the 2016 more.

Two chardonnays–you can see the color is slightly different.

2015 Chardonnay $26

Aged partly in steel and the rest in oak, this is a nice, not too buttery chardonnay. It is dry, with some citrus and minerality and tastes of vanilla and almonds.

2013 Estate Reserve Chardonnay $38

“Would you like to try the Estate Reserve Chardonnay?” asks our server. Oh sure. I never turn down an offer like that! This one is aged for sixteen months in new French oak, and is definitely for those who like the California style of buttery chardonnays. Not my preference.

Though whites are definitely her strong suit, we did really like the Estate Reserve Merlot.

2014 Merlot $40

A fairly typical North Fork merlot, this is aged eighteen months. It has aromas of dark fruit and olives, is dry, and could be fruitier. I would say, based just on this wine, that whites are definitely One Woman’s strong suit.

2012 Estate Reserve Merlot $48

On the other hand, the Estate Reserve Merlot is delicious! This is another extra taste, and I’m glad we tried it. The taste is more like a cabernet sauvignon than a merlot, I think, and our server agrees. It has plenty of tannins and could use more aging, so we buy a bottle to label 2020 for the wine cellar. This is an interesting wine, with lots of dark fruit tastes, and would go well with lamb.

Reasons to visit: you really like wine and would like to chat about it with someone who shares your enthusiasm; the intimate setting; it is a bit off the beaten track—on a side road off Sound Avenue—so in general those who come here are here for the wines; the Gewürztraminer, the Grüner Veltliner, the Estate Reserve Merlot, the rosé; off in the field you can see the cows, from whose milk Frank Purita will be making his excellent gelato, accompanied by Freddie the bull.